Social Security employees get bonus Thanksgiving holiday
Workers receive Nov. 26 off because of job well done, commissioner says.
This story has been updated.
Social Security Administration employees this year will receive an extra day off to celebrate Thanksgiving, according to a report from Federal News Radio's Mike Causey.
SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue told nonemergency employees they do not have to report to work on Nov. 26, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Thursday is a federal holiday. Friday won't be considered a holiday for pay and leave purposes, but workers will receive their normal pay, according to Astrue.
According to Causey's report, Astrue said SSA employees have "faced unprecedented workloads and unprecedented hostility from an increasingly stressed public. While many government agencies understandably have moved backward in this climate, you have moved forward."
It's not clear yet whether other agencies and departments will follow SSA's example. The Veterans Affairs Department and the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed employees will have a holiday on Thursday only. A spokeswoman for the State Department said the agency has nothing to announce at this time.